You’ve seen me get pretty excited about some of my recipes. When I create something that tastes as good as I imagined it would, I have a hard time containing my enthusiasm and I know it spills over here. If I manage to nail a recipe, I feel like Canada just won the gold in Olympic Hockey. Oh wait a second…we did just win the gold in Olympic Hockey. In fact, we won gold in both the men’s and women’s Olympic Hockey. No wonder I am in a state of pure joy. We took the hockey world by storm AND my low carb Thai Fish Cakes rocked. I get pretty excited when a recipe tastes as good as I hoped it would, but I get even more excited when a recipe tastes even better than I imagined. This is one such recipe.
Thai fish cakes have been on my to-do list for a while now, and once I discovered barramundi at my local Trader Joe’s, I thought it was time to play around a bit. Besides being a sustainably farmed and Omega-3 rich fish, barramundi is incredibly versatile. It’s quite a firm white fish, so it holds together really nicely and lends itself well to a number of different cooking methods. In some ways, the texture of barramundi is more like chicken than fish, and this trait makes it perfect for things like fish cakes. Once it’s processed with the other ingredients, it doesn’t fall to pieces and you can shape it quite easily. And the cakes don’t fall apart when they hit the hot oil, as some more fragile fish might do. Since it’s very mild-tasting, the end result is anything you want it to be. Spice it and flavour it the way you like it best.
I did my research on Thai Fish Cakes and I consulted quite a few recipes. Of course, I had to modify them as they all included brown sugar. I also changed things up because I didn’t want to open a full can of coconut milk just to add a few measly spoonfuls to the recipe. And since I’d recently bought myself some coconut butter, I decided to try that along with a few tablespoons of water. I increased the spices a bit because I like a little kick to my food. The end result took me by surprise. I expected good flavour, but I took one bite and fell in love. And I couldn’t stop eating these little guys! I love that traditional Thai fish cakes are on the small side, meant to be eaten as a finger-food instead of with a knife and fork.
As for the spicy mayo, all the recipes I saw had some sort of dipping sauce to accompany the cakes. Many times it was a sweet chili garlic sauce made with, you guessed it, sugar. So I just mixed a little mayo and hot sauce together instead. But I honestly felt like the cakes didn’t need it, that they were just as good on their own. A squeeze of lime was enough for me, but my husband liked to dab the mayo on top. Either way, these are seriously good. And if I haven’t managed to convey my enthusiasm, then I haven’t done my job properly!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored via the NoshOn.It Publisher Partner Program by a leading barramundi producer. All opinions, thoughts, recipes, photography, random tangents and incoherent ramblings are my own.
Thai Fish Cakes with Spicy Mayo
Ingredients
Fish Cakes:
- 1 lb barramundi filets, skin removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 tbsp coconut butter
- 3 tbsp fish sauce, use Red Boat for paleo
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- Lime wedges
- Spicy Mayo:
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise, use Primal Kitchen for paleo
- 1/2 to 1 tsp hot sauce or Sriracha
Instructions
- For the fish cakes, combine fish, coconut butter, fish sauce, water, garlic, ginger, cilantro, chili powder, pepper flakes, cumin and coriander in the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until mixture becomes a thick paste (you will need to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula several times).
- Form into 1.5 inch balls and press into patties about 3/4 inch thick. You will need to wet your hands frequently to keep the mixture from sticking.
- In a large skillet over medium, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil until melted and pan is hot.
- Add about half of the fish cakes, careful not to overcrowd them, and cook 1.5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook another minute to minute and a half, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining oil and cakes.
- For the mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and hot sauce in a small bowl.
- Serve cakes hot with a dab of mayo and lime wedges for garnish
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Delicious! We enjoyed these fish cakes very much! The spiced mayo was the perfect condiment.
Thank you so much for your tasty recipes.